Hospitals--Public

Australian public hospitals, and many community based health services, are funded by state and Commonwealth governments. All Australian citizens and permanent residents (must be holders of Medicare cards) are entitled to receive access to public hospital in-patient, emergency and out-patient service, and may be treated in a public hospital by a hospital-appointed doctor at no direct cost.

Public hospitals are also used as training facilities for medical students and some patients will be included in rounds or visits from doctors and trainee doctors as part of the doctors’ training.The main public hospitals in each State have large emergency departments. The majority of road traumas and other medical emergencies are taken to these departments as a first response. When not being admitted to a public hospital via the emergency department, a person must see his/her general practitioner for a referral to a specialist clinic at the public hospital.

Public health clinics and hospitals in each State are often organised into area health services or local health districts. These provide specialist public health services to address a variety of physical, surgical, women’s and mental health issues. In and out patients of public hospitals may also be required to undergo blood and other investigative tests such as x-rays and scans, and the public hospital will arrange and provide these services to Medicare card holders at the hospital for no charge. Public hospitals and other medical centres or super clinics are not the same. When a private practitioner decides to bulk bill, it sends its claims to the government, which pays a rebate directly to the practitioner. This means no account goes to the patient and there is no extra charge above the rebate but the facility is still privately run and owned.